The Ketchum keystone. [volume] (Ketchum, Idaho) 1885-1899, 1887-03-12

the sos and the '1O'S.
In 1856 l left New York city as
a foremast hand, and a very poor
one at that, in first class clipper
bound via Cape Horn for San
Francisco. did not see New York
again until 1871 and had heard
nothing whatever of the changes
occurring during my absence.
When l did return l looked for the
New York Of 1856, and could not
find it. l put up at hotel near
the city hall. When night came l
was surprised to find a sort of
graveyard quietness beginning all
about. In 1856 all the theaters
were in that part of the city. Wal
lacks old theater the (Star) was
there, then the. farthest uptown.
Union square was then the limit of
Broadway promenade. All the
principal retail stores were below
the square. Stewards down town
store (they called it "Stewart's
palace" them was the fashionable
shopping center. BurtOn's theater,
on Chambers street, the Broadway,
the National and Barnum's museum
were all within five minutes walk
of each other. That section was
then the nucleus of New York as
its nucleus of theaters, fashionable
hotels and the most approved places
for paying high prices for things is
now between Union square and
Forty-Second street.
was two days in New York be-
fore found where the hub of the
town had gone. l was as the
stranger in a strange land. The
currency was new. Oyster stews
had gone up from shilling" to
twenty cents. Shillings and "six-
pences had disappeared altogeth-
er. Drinks had been raised from
three and six to ten and fifteen
cents. But the quality ofthe liquor
had not always been raised with
the price. Worse than all did the
bobtail car bother me. had never
seen such a thing before. l did
not know where to put my money
or how to make change with the
driver, and in my ignorance stuffed
a ten-ccnt shinplaster in the cars
contribution box, thinking, or rath-
er hoping, that in some mysterious
way the concern might make change
for me on its own hook. After l
had so put it in before sundry
amused passengers / knew l had
made a blunder, and left the car
ere / reached my destination to
avoid their silent ridicule. | had
not then the moral courage to face
my own ignorance.
In $50 the oyster saloon gave
you a curtained stall all to your
self, instead of massing its tables
all in one room, thereby subjecting
you to the chance of a disagreeable
neighbor with your fry.
The manger system of feeding
had not then come into fashion.
The oysters of that era were better
because they were not then so long
subjected to the artificial torrid
heat day in and day out of the
present saloon, which ruins a cer-
tain freshness that cannot even be
maintained on ice. The oyster sa-
loon of that time hung out as a
sign q red balloon, into which q
candle was thrust at night.
Photographs were then called
"daguerreotypes." Houses over
six stories high were unknown.
There was still good snipe shoot
ing on the Hoboken marshes. Di-
vorced wives were curiosities. A
clergyman who had been to Pales-
tine was still somebody. Hip pis-
tol pockets and derringers were un-
known. Cheap and ready means
for killing (like our dollar six,
shooter Of cast iron with full set Of
cartridges) were not procurable.
Reporters were neither as bold nor
dangerous as at present. Inter-
viewing as q science had not been
developed. The "supe" at the
theater was regularly howled at
from the gallery on making his ap-
pearance. The audience were then
allowed to hiss play fthey thought
it a bad one. There was then more
coarseness allowed on the respecta-
bic stage than now. There was more
tippling and tobacco chewing among
respectable people. The "cuspi-
dor" had not been heard of, but
the spittoon was very common. l
have seen their as part of the fur
nishing of q church pew. The av-
erage sermon of that time was
palmer and hotter than at present.
Allegorical interpretations of scrip
tural texts were much less used.
He'll then was hell and heaven was
heaven, and if q man or woman
went to one place he burned for
ever, and if to the other he did not.
The congregation did more of the
singing themselves than now.
The city hall and French's hotel
AA~ >~nl~,